How was your Saturday? Mine was pretty good. Let’s get back to Friday first, though…

Friday

Totally forgot to prep my oats even though I reminded myself while blogging :shocked: As I got our lunches ready I put some vanilla Dannon Light’n’Fit and shredded wheat in a tub. Some banana sounded good, too, so I brought one and a knife along as we left for Chris’ dental appt. It was supposed to be quick, but totally wasn’t so I was starving by the time we got to work. This was a yummy breakfast, though! I forgot cinnamon…that would have made it perfect.

Lunch involved integrating some leftovers from our workshop the night before. I can’t let the leftovers go to waste, can I?! My sando had a little bit of goat cheese, a few slices of dry salami, and spinach. I wasn’t that hungry when we ate so I didn’t eat all the apple or grapes.

Friday was a beautiful day in Portland…unseasonably gorgeous…. so I had no problem leaving work early 🙂 I ate a little snack of a Clif Nectar bar as we walked out to the car, since I knew I’d need something to fuel our next activity. It is so weird…chewing the nut pieces in these usually makes my teeth hurt. No, it’s not the bar, it is my TMJ; I clench my jaw and my teeth are a bit sensitized b/c of it. Yummy bar tho!

We hit up 24 Hour, where I knew I had to do an hour of cardio to make up for the lack of it earlier in the week. My goal is to do 225 minutes of cardio per week (45 min 5 times per week), and since I was behind I needed to catch up a tad. I did 45 minutes on the stair mill (whoa, that was hot and hard!), and finished with 15 minutes on the elliptical. A nice ab session followed, and then I had fun watching Chris finish up his hoopin’ in progress. Considering he hasn’t played much in a long time he is doing really well! White men really can jump 😉

After cleaning up we hit up Fajitas for dinner. I had like an 1/8th of a Casuela, some chips & salsa, and tortilla soup sin crema y queso. I was SO full after consuming this that I couldn’t even have a sip of my La Casa. I threw in a piece of gum and called it good.

I did a few household things once we got home, and we went to bed at 10:30! I didn’t fall asleep until after 11 I think, but it was nice to get in bed earlier than usual. I think I’m going to aim to do that again tonight 🙂

Saturday

I got up around 7 for my second Master Recycler field trip: Reuse in Action (or so I will call it…). After getting ready I had my typical oats, but with a small twist: I used chocolate almond milk instead of vanilla. The chocolate flavor really didn’t come through, but that’s okay. This was a yummy combo that I enjoyed with coffee con Silk vanilla creamer.

The field trip was great 🙂 First stop was Free Geek, a charity dedicated to helping the needy get nerdy, as they say. Basically you can donate any computer related item and they will test it, then refurb it or recycle it. They build computers for schools, needy people, and their volunteers. Pretty cool reuse in action!

Next stop was Community Warehouse, a charity dedicated to providing basic housewares to families in need. They also have an estate store with various donated high end furniture or non-necessary items for sale. The store helps fund about 1/3 of their operating budget, and had lots of cool retro and newer stuff in it. I think I’ll donate to this organization in the future rather than Goodwill; I didn’t know that Goodwill dumps off unsold stuff to overseas locations where it is more of a burden than a help 😦

Third stop was SCRAP, School and Community Reuse Action Project. This is another specialized organization whose mission is: “to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.” They accept items that can be re-purposed in arts, crafts, and hobbies, which they then sell to the public in their store. Really cool! And super cheap…they aim to sell the stuff for 1/4 of what you’d pay retail, so it is a really affordable and fun resource for art centers, teachers, and others looking to find supplies or inspiration for their creative projects.

Fourth and final stop was The Rebuilding Center, which is the biggest construction & demolition (C&D) re-use seller in the country! They collect re-usable/excess C&D items like cabinets, sinks, tubs, light fixtures, tile, doors, windows, and so much more. This is a candy store for those doing renovations, remodels, or other projects around the home and yard. The Center is run by Our United Villages. Such a great place to visit! Makes me want to re-tile the bathroom, do a new kitchen counter, and more. The offices are really amazing, as they use mostly old doors to create the floors and walls, along with lots of other stuff to create the tables, beams, and more. So cool.

I got home around 1, feeling a little delirious from not eating yet, and made up a plate of goodies: hummus, spiced feta, kalamata olives, pita, strawberries, grapes, goat cheese, swiss cheese, apple, dolmas, and a slice of dry salami. This was a yummy sampling of tasty goodness, but I restrained enough that I didn’t feel full afterwards 🙂

After letting that settle and waiting for laundry I was off to the gym for another mega cardio sesh and some weights. My sports bras weren’t dry yet, so I ended up wearing a semi-wet one to work out in. I figured I was going to sweat it up anyway so what did it matter, right?!

I started on cardio since Chris put me on a time budget, cranking out the same hour of cardio as yesterday: 45 min on the mill, then 15 on the elliptical. Considering it was after 4 at that point I headed out. I know I haven’t done a weights/resistance workout in the last few days, but I think burnin’ it up on the cardio is going to help me lose a few more pounds sooner for my vaca, so I’ve kinda put that as priority one lately.

Dinner was an exact repeat of last night: small part of a casuela, chips & salsa, and tortilla soup w/o cream or cheese. Tonight I wasn’t as full so I did drink about 1/2 of my La Casa 🙂

Fo’ shizzle, yo. I bet some of you out there think we’re crazy b/c of our Mexican food addiction…sometimes I think we’re a little crazy, too!

What are your Sunday plans? I think The Driz may be joining me in yoga! Fun! Haven’t seen her for awhile, so I get to check out her new haircut and catch up. We should totally hook our men up to play basketball, as they’re both two tall white guys who play like no one’s business, or so it sounds like 😉 I think Chris will be out for awhile though since his ankle doesn’t seem any better today 😦 It is really weird…no swelling or sensitivity to the touch, but pain when weight is put on it and he flexes his foot while walking. Tendon issue? Ligament issue?

I be outta here. I’m looking forward to a nice yoga sesh in the morning, and some good weights as well. Hopefully the workout will motivate me to get all my housework done, too!

have u tried that Clif nectar bar in dark chocolate walnut or something like that, it’s reallly good and brownie-like! You are totally not crazy for the Mexi food…I am so obsessed and I would go out for it every night if my budget allowed it! Yet seeing as I just got a part-time job…looks like I’ll stick to Chipotle once in a blue moon Have fun at yoga!

I couldn’t speak for your particular area’s Goodwill but I can tell you here they don’t “dump off” items overseas – they sell items that haven’t sold in stores here to people who buy it wholesale and some of those people do ship things to sell in other countries. Some of them sell to places that make rags from the materials. Some items are recycled, too. Keep in mind that all these things are being sold to people who do want them for another purpose. All that is kept out of local landfills. And all the funds support people in your own community by helping them get jobs and become self-sufficient, so they dont’ have to go to places like the one you mentioned for free hand-outs in the future.